Shoe



Patented Jan. 16, 1940 David E. Spathelf, University City, Mo.

Application November 21, 1938, Serial No. 241,560

1 Claim.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in shoes, and has for its principal object to improve the appearance of womens shoes, particularly of the high heel type, and yet simplify the manufacturing operations, in that in my new shoe I eliminate the wood heel finishing, shank buffing, shanking out, jointing of the heel and sole, as well as the inking of the edges of the sole at the shank. I also eliminate the edge trimming of the shank. I producea much more desirable and attractive shoe, and one in which the usual contrast between the quarters and vamp of the shoe and the leather sole, as visible in the shank in front of the heel when the wearer of the shoes is Walking, is eliminated. In stead I produce a shoe having the same material, or some pleasingly contrasting material,

placed about the shank portion of each shoe sole,-

so as to match the material used in the shoe upper, so that with each foot-step a most pleasing visual impression is produced, which is a desirable attribute from the shoe wearers standpoint as well as from the standpoint of the observers of such footwear.

Womens shoes are now conspicuous, and manufacturers are endeavoring to soften and minimize any and all features that may produce an unpleasing reaction, visually, in footwear. Heels are formed and so arranged on the shoe as to produce a most pleasing appearance to the eye of the observer. Beautiful colors and shades of leather and other shoe material are studied, and the effects of contrastsare woven into shoe manufacturing. So far as I am aware,'the leather color of the outsole in front of the heel heretofore has remained the same in practically all womens shoes manufactured. I believe I am the first to conceive of a simple and practical solution of this problem, and the first to construct a Womans shoe With the same material covering the sole at the shank portion as that employed in making the quarters and vamp and'for covering the wooden heel, or the same kind of material but contrasting pleasingly in shade with the rest of the shoe.

Fig. 1 is a bottom perspective view of a leather outsole showing the splitting of the outsole.

Fig. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a split leather outsole with the covering material applied about a portion thereof.

Fig. 3 is a top perspective view of the same.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the outsole taken on line 4-4, Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a bottom perspective view of a finished outsole with part of the split portion cut away.

Fig. 6 is a bottom perspective view of a finished shoe with my new outsole attached thereto.

Fig. '7 is a cross-section taken on line 'I'I, Fig. 6.

In the drawing I have illustrated a shoe, generally designated by A, equipped with a heel B secured to the bottom, rear, heel portion of the shoe A in any well known manner, and having the usual leather outsole C. The wood heel B has the usual leather lift portion D attached to the lower face thereof. The heel B is usually made of wood and covered with a leather or cloth material E, which can be the same as the material F on the upper portion of the shoe A, or such material E can be of any material having a pleasing contrast in shade with the color of the material as shown at F in the shoe A.

My invention consists in splitting the usual outsole for ashoe longitudinally from the heel portion l to a point 2 immediate the ball portion of the shoe. I then cement about this portion of the outsole from the point 2 to the point I a piece of material, preferably of the same material as used in the upper portion of the shoe A and to cover the heel B. I then sever the major portion of the section 3,so as to leave a flap 4, which in turn is cemented over the portion 5 of the covered portion of the outsole, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. In order to secure proper fitting of the material 6 over the portion 1 of the outsole C, I cut notches 8 in the folded over edges 9, which gives a smooth, outer surface 6 in the completed shoe A. It will be noted that the heel B is snugly fitted to the bottom of the shoe A .over the covering material 6 on the outsole i. This preserves the same effect as to shade throughout the bottom rear portion of the shoe, as shown in Fig. 6, and the edge lines Ill of the shank portion of the sole F has the same color effect as the rest of the shoe. In this way I produce a shoe'of dispense with the operations previously noted which are necessary in the manufacture of many womens shoes of better quality. I can utilize the cut-off portion 3 in other places in the shoe, so that such piece of leather is not wasted. By this means I have produced a very pleasing shoe in appearance, and have simplified the manu facture thereof.

I claim: v

A shoe comprising in combination, an upper portion, an outsole portion, and a heel portion, said outsole portion being longitudinally split near its tread surface from the end of the heel portion forwardly through the shank portion, and

a cover of the-same material as the upper secured to the outsole andcovering the entire split portion and extending up over the edges of the same, said cover being notched along the edges that contact the inner side of the outsole and being laid over the same, and a substantially triangular tab portion formed at the ball line of the split portion and secured in place over the 35 very pleasing appearance, and one 1n which I v v 

